For most of us, when we move somewhere new, we know it's not our so-called "forever home". We know that we will enjoy our stay there, make it our home and lavish love on it and make memories we will treasure - but eventually, we plan to leave.
Despite knowing this from the moment we move in, the idea of moving on seems to take us all by surprise. We find ourselves with a new property secure and a moving date looming, and we realize just how much we have to do. The onset of panic and stress is infamous.
So is there anything we can do beforehand? Of course, there is. Prevention is better than cure in most things, and moving home is no different. If you keep in mind the fact you will one day move on, there's a whole host of small habits you can learn to make an eventual move easier. For example...
1. Keep Boxes. Yes, all of them.
When you buy a new appliance, keep the box. By all means, fold it flat and store it underneath a sofa. No one is saying you need to keep it assembled, unless you're making a box fort to play in (and maybe you should? Life is short; have fun). If you do this, when it comes to leaving, you've got a custom-designed box for every item. Not only does it make life easier, but you can spend less money on packaging materials and the moving company as everything is pre-prepared.
2. Change Your Wardrobe By Season
Yes, it can be time-consuming, but so is moving - and that's what we're trying to make easier, right? So rather than keeping an entire wardrobe on hangers and in drawers, move the out-of-season clothes into storage. This means when it comes to upping sticks, you already have half of the clothes you own already packed.
3. Do Little Jobs As They Crop Up
If you're showing your house for sale, it's probably as nice as it has been in all the years you've lived there. You'll have gone through everything with a viewer's eye, patching up paint chips and other little fixes. Not only does this add to the stress, but it's also time-consuming in the midst of trying to pack and find another house. Once every six months, walk through your house and fix all the little things that tend to be left by the wayside. This has the added benefit of ensuring you enjoy your house at its best, rather than just something for the new owners.
4. Keep Hold of Packaging
This may seem obvious, but no one seems to do it. Whenever you get a parcel, deliver, use the item you've ordered, and save the packaging for later. Keep foam peanuts and bubble wrap, and collapse boxes down to be reassembled for future use.
5. Only Purchase Moveable Items
When you buy something and assemble it in its intended room, it's easy to forget one day you might have to move it out. Always check sofas, beds and similar large items for their exit strategy. Keep the tools you used to put them together also, so you can take things apart if necessary.
